Torn-up Trump papers, missing Obama and Kim Jong Un letters detailed in release on White House docs

The National Archives and Records Administration connected Monday publically released a tiny fraction of communications related to authorities documents removed by erstwhile President Donald Trump and his reported demolition of immoderate White House records.

The communications related to NARA's efforts to retrieve those documents, which included letters to Trump from erstwhile President Barack Obama and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. They besides expressed the agency's interest astir Trump's reported penchant for ripping immoderate documents helium work successful the White House.

Other communications released Monday included correspondence betwixt NARA and the House Committee connected Oversight and Reform, which earlier this twelvemonth asked David Ferriero, the archivist of the United States, for details astir 15 boxes of statesmanlike records that it had precocious recovered from Trump's Mar-a-Lago nine residence successful Palm Beach, Florida.

The communications were released successful effect to requests nether the Freedom of Information Act.

NARA said it was withholding the immense bulk of the communications, including letters it sent to Trump's lawyer, the Department of Justice, Congress and the White House, due to the fact that they were exempt from disclosure nether FOIA.

The merchandise comes arsenic the Justice Department is conducting a transgression probe of Trump for taking authorities documents with him erstwhile helium near office.

That probe led to an FBI raid successful aboriginal August of the Mar-a-Lago Club. Agents seized thousands of authorities records, a fig of them highly classified. The raid occurred aft the DOJ came to fishy that Trump had retained much authoritative documents than the ones included successful the 15 boxes fixed to NARA.

In all, NARA connected Monday released 11 pages and withheld 298 pages of communications betwixt the bureau and representatives for Trump.

And it released conscionable 54 pages of communications from NARA to what the bureau called "external entities different than Trump representatives." NARA is withholding 1,249 pages of communications successful that category.

"NARA volition proceed to reappraisal further responsive accusation successful the coming months for imaginable release," the bureau said successful a statement. "We are not capable to remark much connected today's merchandise due to the fact that of pending litigation."

In a May 2021 email that was released Monday, NARA General Counsel Gary Stern told lawyers for Trump astir ongoing efforts to seizure statesmanlike records connected societal media accounts, but added, "There are besides definite paper/textual records that we cannot relationship for."

"We truthful request your contiguous assistance to guarantee that NARA receives each Presidential records arsenic required by the Presidential Records Act," Stern wrote.

As an example, Stern wrote "the archetypal correspondence betwixt President Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un were not transferred to us; it is our knowing that successful January 2021, conscionable anterior to the extremity of the Administration, the originals were enactment successful a binder for the President, but were ne'er transferred to the Office of Records Management for transportation to NARA."

"It is indispensable that these archetypal records because transferred to NARA arsenic soon arsenic possible."

Stern added that the missive that erstwhile President Obama near for Trump astatine that Oval Office erstwhile Obama's presidency ended likewise "has not been transferred" to NARA.

"It is simply a Presidential record," and frankincense indispensable beryllium held by NARA, Stern noted.

Stern besides wrote that NARA understood that astir 2 twelve boxes of archetypal statesmanlike records were kept successful the residence of the White House during Trump's last twelvemonth successful office, but had not yet been sent to NARA "despite a determination by [White House counsel] Pat Cipollone successful the last days of the Administration that they request be."

In different papers released Monday, a June 2018 missive from Stern to Trump's lawman White House counsel Stefan Passantino, Stern noted that the quality outlet Politico had published an nonfiction days earlier astir 2 erstwhile White House employees who had been liable for taping backmost unneurotic documents that "were torn up by President Trump."

"I americium penning to petition accusation connected however the White House is addressing this issue," wrote Stern, who noted that specified documents would beryllium taxable to retention nether the Presidential Records Act.

"How galore records were torn up? Have immoderate records been destroyed oregon were successful a authorities that they cannot beryllium recovered," Stern asked. "What steps are taken to retrieve immoderate records that person been torn up?"

The records NARA released Monday bash not see immoderate effect to Stern's letter.